Accession Number2001/2.41
TitleStaff
Artist(s)YorubaArtist NationalityYoruba (culture or style)Object Creation Date20th centuryMedium & Supportwood with metalDimensions 50 in x 1 3/8 in x 1 3/8 in (127 cm x 3.5 cm x 3.5 cm);50 in x 1 3/8 in x 1 3/8 in (127 cm x 3.5 cm x 3.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Margaret H. and Albert J. CoudronSubject matterIt is not known exactly how this staff was used or who it was made for; it is possibly a staff of office or a chief's staff, in which case it would have belonged to a prominent member of a Yoruba community. Staffs in general were common symbols of social status or authority, as diviners, herbalists, and
obas (Yoruba monarchs), important community members with the power to make decisions, often carried them.
References Cited:
Drewal, Henry John, John Pemberton and Rowland O. Abiodun. 1989.
Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought. New York: Center for African Art.
Physical DescriptionCarved wooden staff topped by a piece of metal with two standing human figures along the top third. The figures appear to be a woman and below her, a man. The bottom of the staff ends in a point.
Primary Object Classification Sculpture Primary Object TypestaffCollection AreaAfricanRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
ceremonial objects
ceremonial staffs
social status
symbols of office or status